Jones Walker LLP > Jackson, United States > Firm Profile

Jones Walker LLP > The Legal 500 Rankings

Transport > Shipping: finance Tier 1

Operating one of the broadest maritime transactional practices in the US, Jones Walker LLP‘s sizeable team represents public and private companies in a vast range of domestic and international financings, acquisitions, divestitures and restructurings. Recent work includes representing both debtors and lenders in substantial debtor-in-possession and exit financings, rights offerings, and debt-for-equity swaps. The firm’s attorneys are also routinely sought out to advise on complex domestic and international ocean and inland vessel acquisitions, National Vessel Documentation Center registrations, and the flagging of vessels in registries across the world. The track record of maritime transactions team head William C. Baldwin (who also co-leads the firm’s offshore wind initiative alongside Houston-based Cindy Matherne Muller) includes leading multiple marine financings for new, purpose-built offshore wind vessels. Kelly Duncan has significant experience in admiralty, maritime, and international and customs law work, while James Kearns in the Washington DC office focuses on maritime transactions, and the practice’s key associate Christopher Ulfers advises both borrowers and lenders on marine finance matters. All advisers named are based in the firm’s New Orleans office, unless otherwise stated.

Transport > Shipping: litigation and regulation Tier 1

Transport > Shipping: litigation and regulation Tier 1

Jones Walker LLP‘s full-service maritime litigation and dispute resolution team acts at regional, national and international levels, in relation to brown water, blue water, cruise line and offshore energy industry matters. The firm’s representative experience also covers vessel casualties, including collision investigations, shipping-related commercial disputes, and shipping matters involving personal injury claims. It additionally assists with compliance with governmental agencies’ regulations and directives. The maritime litigation and arbitration team is co-led by disputes specialists Grady Hurley and Jefferson Tillery, alongside maritime practice head Scott Jenkins and maritime regulatory leader Richard Bertram. Also integral to the practice are Etienne Balart, an expert in litigation involving terminals, shipyards and vessel operators; Lara DiCristina, whose broad practice covers incident response investigations; and the highly regarded George Fowler III. Wayne Zeringue Jr and Alfred Rufty III are also maritime litigation specialists and, in Miami, Luis Llamas acts in admiralty disputes and cruise line claims. Sara Kuebel is a notable maritime litigation associate. All attorneys listed are based in the firm’s New Orleans office, unless otherwise stated. Hansford Wogan has departed for an in-house position.

M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: middle-market (sub-$500m) Tier 2

Standing out for the breadth of its expertise and cross-border capabilities, Jones Walker LLP houses a team of ‘smart, experienced, [and] accessible lawyers‘ who are routinely sought out by companies at all stages of development, including large, mid-cap and start-up players, and active in a diversity of industries. Its impressive M&A workload is populated by a number of mergers, tender offers, asset and stock purchases as well as private equity investments, joint ventures and corporate governance issues. In New Orleans, Marshall Page possesses great experience in the M&A space; he is regularly retained by heavy industrial clients, including those in the petrochemical and midstream energy segments. In the same office, Curtis Hearn is a key point of contact for private equity and venture capital funds, while Britton Seal is singled out for his broad knowledge of corporate and securities law. Based in Birmingham, Beau Grenier has represented corporate clients of all sizes in M&A, divestitures, changes of ownership and restructurings.

Labor and employment > Labor-management relations Tier 3

Jones Walker LLP represents management-side clients at both a regional and national level, across all types of employment litigation, including both representative and class actions at all levels of the court system. The team are similarly well-versed in handling a range of traditional labor matters, frequently appearing before the NLRB in the process. New Orleans-based partner Sidney Lewis chairs the group, focusing on a full-range of labor and employment on behalf of industry clients from the retail, hospitality, healthcare and manufacturing sectors, to name a few.

Real estate > Construction (including construction litigation) Tier 3

Jones Walker LLP assists a wide breadth of clients including designers, EPC contractors, major subcontractors, and owners, with its team proficient in a diverse range of construction projects in the aerospace, commercial and energy sectors, and also represents clients both in prosecution, as well as defense claims. Chad Theriot in Atlanta co-leads the team alongside New Orleans-based Michael Drew who aids significant industrial companies on permitting green and brownfield developments. Neal Sweeney works from Houston and routinely serves as counsel on airport, highways transit, and tunnel projects. Tiffany Raush is located in Houston, and is noted for acting as lead counsel as well as second chair in significant construction disputes.

Energy > Energy litigation: oil and gas Tier 4

Based in New Orleans, the energy, environment and natural resources team at Jones Walker LLP is a major player in the Louisiana market, working on a range of energy litigation cases, including those in relation to carbon capture and state regulation. The practice is also noted for its experience in handling high-stakes litigation before the FERC, involving upstream business issues, regulatory enforcement proceedings, and litigation involving major damages exposure. Marjorie McKeithen, who regularly serves as project counsel for large energy infrastructure projects, jointly leads the team alongside Grady Hurley, who is experienced in maritime and oilfield litigation. Alida Hainkel handles offshore and onshore disputes in state and federal court, while Jonathan Hunter guides exploration and production companies through matters surrounding federal statutes.

Energy > Energy regulation: oil and gas Tier 4

Based in New Orleans, the energy, environment and natural resources group at Jones Walker LLP handles large-scale infrastructure projects in Louisiana, with additional experience assisting upstream exploration and production companies on compliance matters and regulatory litigation before the FERC. Co-chair of the upstream group, Marjorie McKeithen regularly serves as project counsel on infrastructure projects, including hydrogen, biofuels and carbon capture facilities, while fellow co-chair Grady Hurley is noted for his expertise in maritime law, advising on regulatory matters concerning offshore energy exploration, production and distribution. Jonathan Hunter, who acts for clients in the upstream oil and gas sector on regulatory matters, is another key contact in the group.

Labor and employment > Workplace and employment counseling Tier 4

Jones Walker LLP advises employers on a range of matters from immigration law and non-competes to protecting clients from non-disclosure violations and unfair competition. The firm is also well-versed in issues relating to wrongful discharge and employment torts such as defamation. Sidney Lewis leads the team out of New Orleans and advises management and human resources personnel with respect to labor laws.

Real estate Tier 5

Tax > US taxes: non-contentious Tier 7

Leveraging its sizeable presence in the Gulf South region, Jones Walker LLP is routinely sought after for its expertise in state and local taxation, particularly across the energy, manufacturing, healthcare, transportation, and retail sectors – areas in which Jesse Adams is a specialist. Elsewhere, New York-based Alysse McLoughlin focuses her SALT planning on issues facing financial services companies. Kelly Rushin Lewis anchors the firm’s tax credit finance offering from Birmingham, and Jonathan Katz specializes in historic rehabilitation tax credit and opportunity zone programs. William Backstrom‘s extensive experience spans the full range of entities with Louisiana-based operations. Andre Burvant is also recommended. All named individuals are based in New Orleans unless stated otherwise.